DENVER _ The Islanders' depth may be about to be tested.
An otherwise textbook defensive performance against the Avalanche and their lethal top line in a 4-1 win on Monday night at Pepsi Center to open a four-game road trip was marred somewhat by losing top-line center Brock Nelson and second-pair defenseman Thomas Hickey within 29 seconds late in the second period.
The Islanders (16-12-4), who have won consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 23-24, play at Arizona on Tuesday night and it's uncertain whether either will be available.
Thomas Greiss made 30 saves while Semyon Varlamov stopped 17 shots for the Avalanche (18-10-6).
"For me, what I've seen Thomas do for us is he's made big saves at key times," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said.
The Islanders went 2 for 4 on the power play, just the second time this season they've scored man-advantage goals in a game this season. It also marked the first time the Islanders have scored power-play goals in consecutive games since Nov. 13-15. They also killed off four of the Avalanche's five power plays.
In the short term, the Islanders upped their game down two men for the entire third period.
Hickey went hard, back first, into the boards as he tried to check Tyson Jost and 17:26 and, appearing very dazed, was helped off the ice to the Islanders' room. He was ruled out with an upper-body injury.
Nelson followed at 17:55 as defenseman Ian Cole _ who quite possibly could face NHL supplemental disciple _ stuck out his left knee to bring down Nelson at the Islanders' blue line. Nelson limped to the room.
But Anders Lee, tipping Nick Leddy's shot from the left point, made it 3-1 with a power-play goal at 18:25 with Cole in the penalty box for kneeing.
Defenseman Johnny Boychuk's power-play one-timer from the left circle off defenseman Ryan Pulock's feed gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead at 2:07 of the second period.
Gabriel Landeskog's power-play tip of Tyson Barrie's blue-line slap shot brought the Avalanche within 2-1 at 6:45 of the third period.
But the Islanders killed off a four-minute Avalanche power play when Josh Ho-Sang, playing his second game since being recalled from Bridgeport (AHL) on Dec. 9, was called for hooking Sven Andrighetto and then holding Gabriel Bourque at 11:23.
The Avalanche boast one of the most dynamic top lines in the NHL with Nathan MacKinnon (21 goals, 32 assists) centering Landeskog (22-19) and Mikko Rantanen (15-41). Yet the trio was limited to MacKinnon getting a secondary assist on Landeskog's power play goal.
Meanwhile, Rantanen had his 14-game point streak snapped after compiling eight goals and 19 assists in that span.
Trotz favored having his top defensive pair of Leddy and Boychuk on the ice against MacKinnon's line and, until Nelson got hurt, was using his line with Lee and Jordan Eberle as a frequent matchup.
The Avalanche's top line did generate chances, with Greiss forced to make two saves on MacKinnon _ from the right circle and on a wrapround at the left post _ on its first shift of the game. Greiss also stopped MacKinnon from below the right circle at 9:30 of the first period, at which point the Avalanche were outshooting the Islanders, 6-1.
But the Islanders opened the scoring at 18:20 of the first period as Nelson, with the 100th assist of his career, set up Eberle in the slot for his first goal in 11 games.
Valtteri Filppula clinched the game with an empty-netter at 17:36 of the third period.
